Of, by, and for Rockies fans. Every day.
26. Cole Messina (86 points, 14 ballots) Cole Messina is the only catcher we’ve got on this Purple Row Prospects list, so it’s a good thing the Rockies have All-Star Hunter Goodman manning the position right now. As a prospect, Messina combines decent plate discipline with good power potential and leadership qualities behind the dish. […]
18 days ago | 1 read
A bad trend has been cropping up among Rockies All-Stars in recent seasons. Since perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado, who earned selections 2015-19, was traded, every Rockie All-Star has performed worse in the season following their All-Star selection. There wasn’t an All-Star Game in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and Arenado was traded to St. Louis in […]
18 days ago | 1 read
One of the new Colorado Rockies front office hires is assistant general manager Tommy Tanous. Formerly with the New York Mets, Tanous has a background in drafting a scouting (both internationally and in the US). Read Thomas Harding’s write up here. One thing that’s become clear to me is that president of baseball operations Paul […]
19 days ago | 1 read
27. Riley Kelly (79 points, 10 ballots) Kelly was Colorado’s fourth round pick, 107th overall, in the 2025 draft out of UC-Irvine. The 6’5” 21-year-old righty starter signed for a $700k bonus, just about $15k under the slot value. Like many other high Rockies draftees, Kelly was a high school quarterback with some good athleticism. […]
19 days ago | 1 read
The Colorado Rockies have been busy lately with the signing of free agent pitcher Michael Lorenzen and the reported signing of utilityman Willi Castro. It’s been clear that the Rockies are hoping to build a team in 2026 that affords them the ability to let the young players of 2025 get more time to develop […]
19 days ago | 3 reads
Now that we’re going closer to spring training, let’s get serious about projecting what the Colorado Rockies outfield will look like. Since I first asked this question, the Rockies have reached arbitration agreements with their players (including three outfielders) and traded for Jake McCarthy. We also know that Willi Castro and Troy Johnston have outfield […]
20 days ago | 4 reads
28. Konner Eaton (75 points, 12 ballots) Eaton, a 23-year-old lefty pitcher, was a bit below the radar entering 2025, but his size and athleticism were intriguing. He throws in the lower half of the 90s and boasts a slider whose late horizontal movement is effective against hitters from both sides of the plate. Eaton […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Last Thursday ESPN reported that the Colorado Rockies had reached an agreement with veteran super utilityman Willi Castro on a two-year deal worth $12.8 million. Interestingly, the report came as Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta was holding a media availability following the official signing of right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen. DePodesta was cagey when […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Late Friday, we learned that the Rockies made another addition to their front office staff, Chad MacDonald. (Read Thomas Harding’s write up here.) MacDonald joins the Rockies as special assistant, player personnel. The Rockies have made significant additions this offseason in terms of their front office personnel. (Read about some of those additions here, here, […]
21 days ago | 1 read
29. Ethan Hedges (58 points, 12 ballots) Colorado’s third round pick in the 2025 draft (77th overall) out of the University of Southern California was Hedges. The 6’1” 21-year-old righty was a two-way player during his draft year but will be a third baseman as a professional. Hedges signed for $950k, about $110k below the slot […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
Last Thursday, at the same time news was breaking that the Colorado Rockies had arrived at a deal with Willi Castro, Paul DePodesta and Michael Lorenzen addressed media in two separate Zoom availabilities. Last week, Evan Lang provided an overview of Lorenzen’s career and a glimpse of what the signing might mean, and Sam Bradfield […]
21 days ago | 4 reads
The weekend is a great time to kick back and reflect. This Week in Purple is the place to catch up on the news from our team at Purple Row. You’ll find links to Rockpiles and other content below as well as a platform for community discussion in the comments. The Colorado Rockies released their […]
23 days ago | 2 reads
Our friends over at The Good Phight asked an interesting question earlier this week: Which Philadelphia team will win the next championship? “Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, Eagles, Union,” they asked, “who’s winning it all?” So as we head into the first Denver Broncos home playoff game in a decade — with the Denver Nuggets and Colorado […]
24 days ago | 0 reads
The Colorado Rockies officially signed 34-year-old RHP Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $8 million deal on Thursday morning after the signing was first reported last Wednesday. Lorenzen met with the media over Zoom on Thursday afternoon to discuss his ties to the Rockies and his excitement about working with this team. “One of the things […]
24 days ago | 4 reads
30. Oscar Pujols (55 points, 9 ballots) Pujols was Colorado’s top international free agent pitcher signing in the 2024 period, receiving a $600k bonus. The 6’3”, 155-pound starter is in the upper 80s/low 90s now and boasts a promising curveball. MLB Pipeline ranked Pujols 36th among their international free agent prospects from 2024 (and second among pitching prospects) as a […]
24 days ago | 3 reads
In about one month, baseball begins again. On Feb. 12, Rockies pitchers and catchers will report to spring training. On Feb. 17, the position players will follow. This spring actually represents a renewal and refreshing change for the Colorado Rockies, who are being led by a new front office and coaching staff. As they work […]
24 days ago | 3 reads
It has been a news-filled 10 days here at Purple Row. Think about it. Over the course of the last week, the Rockies have done the following: As Skyler Timmins noted today, Add to all that, the Rockies front office is routinely communicating with media. Last week, Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes answered an email […]
25 days ago | 4 reads
The Colorado Rockies are bringing another veteran free agent into the fold, as ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported Thursday afternoon that Willi Castro will be donning purple pinstripes on a two-year, $12.8 million deal. The switch-hitting super utilityman is largely a middle infielder, but has played significant innings at every defensive position save first base and […]
25 days ago | 1 read
On Thursday morning, the Colorado Rockies made their first Major League free agent signing official. Veteran right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen will join the Rockies’ starting rotation for the 2026 season on a one-year, $8 million deal. The contract includes a $9 million club option for the 2027 season. The deal was first reported last Wednesday. […]
25 days ago | 2 reads
Today marks the start of MLB’s 2026 international prospects signing period, and all 30 teams can now start adding top amateur talent from across the world to their systems. Verbal agreements have likely been reached with plenty of them, so we’re likely to hear of numerous prospects signing today even though it’s the very first […]
25 days ago | 0 reads
It’s time to reveal the five players who made it the closest to the pre-season 2026 top 30 Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list, the Honorable Mention PuRPS, as voted on by the Purple Row community recently. For each player, I’ll include a link to individual stats and contract status (via Baseball-Reference), as well as notes on […]
25 days ago | 0 reads
Last week, I suggested Chase Dollander could be a bounce-back candidate in 2026, despite only completing his rookie year in 2025. However, he could also just be a candidate for continued development. But then a comment caught my eye from Colorado Springs Northsider: A number of Rockies pitchers have taken a season or two (Cook […]
25 days ago | 5 reads
We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it on the site, but last week, FanGraph’s Dan Szymborski dropped his projections for the 2026 Colorado Rockies. You may read them here. You will not be surprised to learn that ZiPS is not especially optimistic about the Rockies as they head into the season. Here’s […]
26 days ago | 2 reads
After revealing the players who appeared on a single ballot on Monday and six multi-ballot players yesterday, it’s time to write about the five players who fell just short from Honorable Mention Purple Row Prospect (PuRP) status in the pre-season 2026 voting. For each player, I’ll include a link to individual stats and contract status (via Baseball-Reference), […]
26 days ago | 2 reads
The Colorado Rockies are trying to reinvent themselves for 2026. With a new front office and coaching staff in place, the intention is to come up with a way to be successful in Colorado. Obviously, pitching is the team’s biggest area of focus, and President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta has mentioned several times that […]
26 days ago | 1 read